American artist and steel heir William H. Singer Jr. settled in Olden in the early 1900s. Now his and his wife Anna's house, «Singerheimen», has been preserved, and the adventurous story of the rich Americans from Olden will be preserved.
The American couple Anna Brugh Singer and William H. Singer Jr. came to Olden in 1913. William Singer was a painter, and in Olden he found the landscape he had been looking for as a subject for his paintings.
- "In a Norwegian context, the facility at Dalheim is unique," says Hanna Geiran, Director of National Heritage. "Here, western building practices and Swiss-style architecture meet a strong influence from American Southern architecture and the international Arts & Crafts movement. It's a beautiful facility, and the integrity and coherence between the garden and buildings is an important reason for its preservation.
The Singers fell in love with the landscape in Olden. It was here that William Singer found motifs for his paintings, and they subsequently built the villa complex «Singerheimen», which became the couple's home. The couple contributed in various ways to the development of the local community. Among other things, they paid for the construction of Nordfjord Hospital and advanced the construction of the road between Olden and Innvik as an important transportation measure in the county. Parts of the couple's large art collection were transferred to Vestlandske kunstindustrimuseum after Anna Singer's death.
A love story
When William and Anna Singer settled in Olden over a hundred years ago, they moved from an industrial empire in the USA. They came to a small village in western Norway that they grew to love. This is reflected in the way they contributed to the local community, and in the way they got involved here.. They first stayed at Yris Hotel in Olden, where they built their own wing. In 1914, they built the first house at Dalheim, Studio, as William Singer's studio. In 1922, the villa at Dalheim was completed and they could move in. Furniture, art and antiques were then moved from their villa De Wilde Zwanen in Laren in the Netherlands to Olden.
The house at Dalheim evolved over several years, and was constantly adapted and expanded according to the Singer couple's needs. In addition to the Studio (1914) and the villa (1922), the property consists of a garden shed/boys' dormitory, a storehouse, a café with a fireplace and an outhouse for the gardeners, cellars, a farm building (1932), a woodshed, a bungalow (1937) and a mausoleum (ca. 1947).
There used to be a covenant bungalow at the facility, but it was separated from Dalheim and sold in 1946. They also built a cabin at Briksdalsbreen which they used a few times a year. This cabin is privately owned and is well preserved.
The purpose of the preservation
Through their way of life and behavior, the Singers were very clear exponents of international cultural impulses at the time. In a Norwegian context, the complex at Dalheim is unique. The buildings show a combination of traditional West Norwegian building techniques and Swiss-style architecture with a strong influence from American Southern architecture and the international Arts & Crafts movement. The gardens and interiors are also part of the preservation, and the garden is a very good example of trends in European and American garden art from the first half of the 20th century. The integrity and connection between the garden and the buildings is important as part of the reason for the preservation.
Dalheim is a complete facility with housing and workplaces for owners, guests and employees from the first half of the 20th century. There are few places in this country that so clearly show the relationship between owners and tenants. The buildings show the difference in social status and the various roles and tasks that owners and tenants shared.
Today, the William H. Singer Jr and Anna Brugh Singer Memorial Foundation owns and manages the collection and the building at Dalheim. The museum KODE in Bergen has parts of the art collection, and there is also some in the USA and the Netherlands. Vestland County Council has prepared the conservation proposal.
